O'Rourke brings 'Blue Collar' mentality to GHS hoops program

May 14, 2010|By Jeremy Speer • Sports Editor

GAYLORD — Tim O’Rourke knows it is a cliché, but he vows that he and his team will work hard in the future.

Every coach preaches the tenets of hard work, and with with Gaylord’s newest varsity boys basketball coach, it’s a lifestyle. It’s this blue collar approach he hopes will translate into success in the rugged Big North Conference.

O’Rourke was approved as the GHS coach at Monday’s Gaylord Community Schools Board of Education meeting, replacing Gary Matelski, who spent one season at the helm. Immediately he was — you guessed it — getting after it. O’Rourke already has at least 27 games scheduled for the Blue Devils this season and has already initiated an offseason workout program.

“I’m not going to outsmart anybody, so the only way I know how to go is to be tenacious,” O’Rourke said. “I’m a hard-working person by nature, and that’s how I coach. I’ve found that what gets you there is work. The rest will take care of itself.”

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O’Rourke was a former scrappy athlete at Vanderbilt before returning to his alma mater 13 years ago to coach the Vanderbilt junior varsity. He eventually became the varsity coach, leading the team from some lean times to one of the best stretches in school history. After leaving Vanderbilt, he has spent the past three seasons as Gaylord freshman coach, and has built a successful program that has had the knack for improving as the season rolls along.

“He is a blue-collar guy, a hard-worker and he has proved to be valuable asset to our basketball staff,” said Gaylord athletic director Steve Baker. “Win or lose, we know Tim will do things the right way. He has coached just about every student-athlete in our program and has earned the respect of parents and players.”

O’Rourke sees the situation in Gaylord similar to what he was faced when taking over the Vanderbilt program. Coming off a co-Big North Conference championship, the Blue Devils had one of their toughest seasons in recent memory, finishing with a record of 2-19. Vanderbilt had a similar record when he took over and although it wasn’t overnight, he built a winning program that competed for league titles.

“(Last season) is already behind us,” O’Rourke said. “I preach to the kids that when you make a turnover or miss a shot, it happens. You can’t dwell upon it, because it’s a domino effect. There’s some rich history here and we’re just going to forge forward.”

O’Rourke said the job wouldn’t be possible without the support of his family, his wife Melissa and seventh-grade son, Marcus, as well as the support of his employer, Yohe Enterprises. He’s also excited about working with his assistant coaches, Kevin Hesselink and Rick Butler and junior varsity coach Jason Weiss.

With a tough-love approach, O’Rourke has had successful seasons each of the past three years at the freshman level. Those three classes will be the ones he’ll be coaching this season and he’s looking forward to the familiarity between player and coach.

He knows it won’t be easy, however. Gaylord’s schedule is loaded with difficult opposition and the gap between the Blue Devils and some of the other Big North Conference teams last season was wide.

O’Rourke hopes to begin to close that gap this summer, as Gaylord is already entered in three team camps and a couple of shootout tournaments. He’s looking forward to taking the first steps toward getting his team together.

Among his initial goals are to uphold Gaylord’s reputation as a classy and respectful program, to be competitive and to improve from start-to-finish.

“There’s only one way I know how to do it,” O’Rourke said. “We’re in the toughest conference in Northern Michigan, where there’s not only outstanding athletes, but also tremendous coaches. The things I preach every day are character and work ethic.”